Mail box



y 9, 1933- c. F. OESTMAN ET AL 1,908,173

MAIL BOX Filed Apri1 2a, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F. OESTMAN AND SIDNEY W. NELSON, F HINSD ALE, ILLINOIS MAIL BOX Application filed April 28, 1931. Serial No. 533,471.

This invention relates to improvementsin mail boxes. V

The present invention relates to a mail box which is designed in such form as to be easily and cheaply constructed of sheet metal, and is designed to facilitate the easy and convenient insertion and removal of mail matter. r

In the construction of most forms of mail boxes with which we are familiar, difiiculty is experienced in the insertion and removal of parcels, magazines, or packages of larger thanletter size, and thisis particularly the case where-magazines or the like are shoved or forced through a letter slot and thereafter become wedged within the interior of the mail box, so that when the box is opened it 1s difficult to remove them,both by reason of the restriction of the door opening and by reason of the wedging of such oversize parcels or packages within the interior of the box.

The present invention is designed to overcome the foregoing difficulties by providlng a top door of the full cross dimensions of the interior of the box, which permits easy endwise insertion of letters or packages of any size within the capacity of the box,in conjunction with a front door of the full length and breadth of the box, which when opened permits easy access to the entire interior, so that objects such as magazines, packages or the like, can be removed without the slightest di-fliculty.

The invention also relates to means provided for preventing the accidental falling out of parcels or packages when the front door is opened; to the locking arrangement provided for the front door; and to the general arrangement and construction of the box as a whole.

In the drawings illustrating the inventi'on,

Figure I is a when closed; 7 v 4 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box with the front door open;

Fig. 3 is a similar perspective View with the top door open and the front door closed;

perspective view of the box Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the box with both doors closed.

The box as a whole is provided with a ver tically elongated body having side walls lO-l0, a back 11, and a bottom 12. The front of the box body is open, save for a narrow surrounding rim or flange 13. The top of the box is bin shaped, the rear wall being elevatedabrwe the front marginal flange, and the side walls having oblique npper edges, and the top of the box is closed by a flap top door 14 hinged at its rear edge 15 to the upper edge of the rear Wall 11. If desired, the edges of the top door can be flanged, beaded, or otherwise reinforced in a manner common in the fabrication of sheet metal.

The enlarged front opening is adapted to be closed by a front door 16 which is hinged along its inner edge 17 toone of the front marginal flanges 13, and when opened asv in 79 Fig. 2, the entireinterior of the boX is ex posed.

The front marginal flange can, if desired, be suitably thickened or reinforced to afford the necessary stiffness, and similarly the metalaround the base of the box can be of adequate thickness or otherwise reinforced in any suitable manner.

In order to prevent magazines, packages, or other articles from accidentally falling forward when the front door is opened, a yielding tongue 18 is provided, which normally stands upwarcly from the bottom of the box along a line immediately inside of the front marginal flange, and the tongue is pivoted upon a pintle 19 located immediately behind the front flange, which pintle is encircled by a coil spring. 20 so disposed as to bear against the tongue and normally hold the same in upstanding position; and in order toprevent the tongue from being forced inwardly beyond its normal vertical position, thetongue is provided with a. foot 21 which bears upon the floor of the box and constitutes a stop for limiting its inwardmove ment. However, the tongue is so disposed and pivoted astopermit it toswing outwardly against spring tension to permit the easy Withdrawal of magazines or packages standing vertically and presenting their flat sides toward the front door opening.

The front door is locked by means of a pair of bolts 22 and 23, the former of which is vertically adjustable to engage the upper portion of the marginal front flange, and

the latter of which is adjustable to engage the vertical portion of the marginal flange when the door is closed. The inner ends of the bolts are-eccentrically pivoted to a rotatable disk 2% mounted upon a 'pintle 25 extendin through the door and terminating in an exterior handle 26. The disk is provided in its periphery with a slot 27, the ends of which engage a stop pin 28 to limit the rotation of the disk 24.

If desired, the mail box may be provided with a depending bracket 29 having curved arms 30 for the reception of newspapers or bundles which are too large to be inserted into the interior of the box, and, as shown, the box is adapted to be secured to a wall, post, or other support, by the provision of screws 31.

r In use, mail matter will be inserted into the top of the box, and in view of the fact that the sloping top door is of'the full cross sectional dimensions of the box, large packages up to the full interior capacity of the box may be inserted.

Furthermore, which permits the top the arrangement is one door to be quickly and easily thrown back, so that no delay ordifficulty is experienced in depositing mail matter within the box. lVhen the top door is closed, the interior of the box will be completely protected against ingress of snow or ram.

In removing the mail matter, the lock on the front door can be quickly turned and the door thrown back to expose the entire interior of the box, but in these circumstances the mail matter will not accidentally fall from the box, but may be easily removed therefrom by drawing the letters, parcels, or packages forward over the tongue, which readily yields as the packages are withdrawn.

The locking arrangement is one wh ch holds the top door in close engagement with the front marginal flange, and at the same time the bolts can be quickly withdrawn by a turning of the handle, so that no difficulty or delay will be experienced in the removal of the mail.

f course, if a key lock is desired, a lock of any suitable or approved character may be added; I

The invention is of extremely simple construction, but the box as awhole is designed to meet practical requirements in the depositing and removal of mail matter, and to avoid the difliculties which are frequently en countered in the use of mail boxes of the character in general use.

We claim: I 1. A mail box comprising a box body having a front opening of relatively large dimensions, a front door hinged to the margin of said opening and adapted to close the same, a tongue upstanding from the bottom of said opening in position to prevent accidental falling forward of mail matter when the door is opened, and adapted to yield under pressure to permit withdrawal of said mail mat ter, said tongue being pivotally mounted at its lower end at a point contiguous to the bottom of the front opening, and a spring adapted to resist the forward yielding of said tongue.

2. A mail box comprising a box body having a front opening of relatively large dimensions, a front door hinged to the margin of said opening and adapted to close the same, a tongue upstanding from the bottom of said opening in position to prevent accidental falling forward of mail matter when the door is opened, and adapted to yield under pressure to permit withdrawal of said mail matter, said tongue being pivotally mounted at its lower-end at a point contiguous to the bottom of the front opening, and a spring adapted to resist the forward yielding of said tongue, the box body being open at its upper end, and a top door for closing said upper opening. v

3. A mail box comprising a box body having a front opening, a front door adapted to close the front opening, a tongue normally extending vertically within the front opening in position to prevent accidental falling out of mail matterwhen the front door is opened, and spring means unconnected with and independent of the door and normally acting to hold the tongue within the confines of the front opening while the door is being opened and adapted to permit the tongue to yield under manual pressure exerted in drawing out mail matter through the front opening after the door is opened. 7

l. A mail box comprising a box body having a front opening of relatively large dimensions, a front door hinged to the margin of said opening and adapted to close the same, a tongue upstanding from the bottom of said opening in position to prevent accidental falling forward of mail matter when the door is opened, and spring means through the front openingafter the door is 1 a tongue upstanding from the bottom of said opening in position to prevent accidental falling forward of mail matter when the door is opened, and spring means unconnected with and independent of the door and normall acting to hold the tongue within the con nes of the front opening while the door is being opened and adapted to permit the tongue to yield under manual pressure exerted in drawing out mail matter through the front opening after the door is opened, the box body being open at its upper end, and a top door for closing said upper opening.

6. A mail box comprising a box body having a front opening, a front door adapted to close the front opening and hingedly connected to the side of the opening to swing on a vertical axis, a tongue normally extending vertically within the front opening in position to prevent accidental falling out of mail matter when the front door is swung open, and spring means unconnected with and independent of the door and normally acting to hold the tongue within the confines of the front opening while the door is being opened and adapted to permit the tongue to yield under manual pressure exerted in drawing out mail matter through the front opening after the door is opened.

CHARLES F. OESTMAN. SIDNEY W. NELSON. 

